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Brittany’s Flea Market Spree

The past month has been a flea market mad dash for fleastyle.com. And I’m not complaining one bit!

I happened to visit two of my favorite flea market states for personal matters this month. In early August, I spent two weeks in California with family and friends after the Summit dust settled. Last weekend, I flew to New York City for 48 hours for one of my best friend’s engagement parties.

Lucky for our online shop, I was within miles of some of the best markets in the U.S. Naturally, I packed extra light and some comfy flat shoes to pound the pavement for cool finds.

First stop: The Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, California. I met three girlfriends at 6 a.m. to drive an hour north to this shopping mecca. The Rose Bowl Flea is one of the original gangstas of flea markets. It’s huge. Because it’s so massive, treasures are aplenty. Prices can be steep though (especially when you’re used to Canton or smaller Texas markets), so I tend to buy things that tug at my heartstrings or have sentimental value.

I really try to keep our online shop prices fair, so this trip I didn’t find anything that made sense. My closet, however, lucked out! I scored five vintage pieces that I’ve been wearing nonstop since.

The Long Beach Flea was another story. Like always, I found hundreds of goodies at my favorite flea market. I planned my California trip during the show, as it always rears such wonderful wares for the site, my closet and home. The prices are so fair, and I have personal relationships with many of the vendors at this point. I love supporting them, and this market is only about 15 minutes from my parents’ beach house, so it’s convenient to boot!

I found so many amazing textiles (hello, pretties above!) this show. I also left like a bandit in the bauble department. Both types of items are so easy to pack and ship, so they made a lot of sense for me to buy while outta state.

I about passed out when I laid eyes on the fringe wall hanging pictured about. I mean those colors! Those eye-popping patterns! That white fringe! This bad boy never even made it to our site, as we sold it right off Instagram!

Same story goes for this colorful blanket. When I found this pretty baby buried at the bottom of a bin, I about lost my marbles! I posted it on Instagram, and it sold in less than an hour.

Much like Flea Style, the Long Beach Flea has a lot of curated vendors. I always love visiting one particular textile vendor (far right side of the flea market near the exit).

During my two-week California trip, my husband and I cozied up in a cute little Laguna Beach hideaway. I loved spending my mornings in the chic lobby to plug away on all things Flea Style!

As much as I love to work, I love my family more. It was so wonderful to have some quality time together on our trip.

Last weekend, I rummaged through New York’s Chelsea Flea Market for a couple of hours. I found some great buys, from Lucite candlesticks to aged-brass bangles. The vendors aren’t nearly as friendly as at the West Coast fleas, but they’re still worth visiting for some funky finds. When junking in NYC, be sure to wear a crossbody bag to keep your hands free for holding finds. Also pack plenty of cash, as there is rarely an ATM in sight.

This is my best try at a selfie at the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market. When I lived in New York, I was a few blocks from this open-air event. However, I’m sad to report that it’s really lost its luster. There were maybe 15 vendors total, and the stuff was so-so. That said, I still found some real gems (unique dresses, a pretty oil painting), but I wouldn’t plan a trip to New York for this flea by any means.